FMCSA Seeks White House Approval for New Online Registration System

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is requesting approval from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new information collection request (ICR) titled “FMCSA Registration System (FRS).” In an April 19 Federal Register posting, FMCSA said it will replace its Unified Registration System (URS) with a new online registration system, to be named the FMCSA Registration System. FMCSA said the new system is part of an effort to clean up the bad actors in the industry, which the agency now fully admits are in the system today.

The new system will allow anyone required to register under the agency’s commercial or safety jurisdiction to do so online, including:

• New entrants applying for safety and/or operating authority registration for the first time
• Existing registrants that already have a USDOT number and/or operating authority wishing to apply for additional authorities
• Mexico-domiciled carriers that wish to operate beyond the U.S.-Mexico border commercial zones
• Registrants updating their records to reflect name and address changes as well as reinstatements of operating authority for motor carriers, freight forwarders, and brokers
• Registrants that request a voluntarily suspension of their safety and/or operating authority registration with FMCSA

It will also apply to designated agents and those entities providing proof of financial responsibility requirements, such as insurance companies and broker bond agents, FMCSA noted. According to FMCSA, the new FRS will eliminate a number of forms currently used by motor carriers and others in the transportation industry, including the MCS-150, BOC-3, OP-1 and more, integrating them all into a new online system.

The agency will accept comments on the proposed information collection through June 18. FMCSA will also host a webinar on May 29 to review what it terms “a more user-friendly registration system that manages the registration life cycle of regulated entities." ICSA will post registration information for the May 29 event when it becomes available.